The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1887-06-09
A DENTAL COLLEGE.
HALF PLEDGED DENTISTS PRACTICE
ING ON THEIR PATIENTS.

HALF PLEDGED DENTISTS PRAcTlc.
ING ON THEIR PATIENTS.
Scenes in the Operating Roon-In the
Operating Chair-Manufacture OF Plates
and Teeth The Museum - Students
from Everywhere.
The exterior Of the building is so harm
less and inoffensive in appearance that few
persons would suspect that behind those
walls are concealed something like $50
human beings, the majority of them young
men, engaged III mastering the technicali-
ties connected with the preservation and
extraction of molars, bicuspids, incisors,
CANNES md all tho other things in the
mouth to which the scientists have given
such terrible names, and which, on occas-
sion, ache so like the late Samuel Hill. Is
it not dreadful thought? Two hundred
and fifty mon about to be turned loose
upon the inhabitants of this city, to estab-
lish $50 dental rooms, to smile blandly
upon 250 patients who come timidly in,
holding on to their jaws; to pop them into
$50 chairs and say "Open your 1nouth--a
little wider, please;" then silence for q
moment; then $50 shriells to rend the air,
followed presently by an equal number of
long drawn ''ahsr' expressive of immeas-
urable relief. It almost takes away ones
breath to think of it.
Observing several persons entering with
that uncertain gait and troubled express
sion of countenance which mark tho dem
lists prey, q reporter, backed up by an
intrepid artist, ventured into this place the
other day to see what was to be seen.
Armed with an accident policy for one
day, and with note books and pencils care
fully concealed, they assembled flight Of
stairs and entered long, narrow room
containing about dozen chairs Of q kind
but too familiar to need description. They
were occupied by twelve unfortunates,
mostly females, in various stages of I'M
happiness. There wasn't cheerfulncss
enough diffused over ell their counte-
nances put together to nuke up one single
sickly defeated candidate the day-after-
election smile. But there was enough
cheerfulness on the faces of the operators,
rs well as on those of the other students
who were visible, to rather moro than over
balance the gloom that otherwise charac-
tcrized the proceedings.
BY rare good fortune the artist recog-
nized friend in q six foot student, who
was watching q young man run buzz
saw between the teeth of O neatly dressed
and rather attractive young lady. He
consented to act the part of cicerone, and
under his guidance ana protection the
twain made the tour of the premises, be-
ginning with the extracting room. That
is, they began with it after while, but
not quito Immediately, for on trying the
door it proved to be locked, and various
hollow groans and muffled cries from be-
yond conveyed but too plainly to the
listeners the fact that some student was
adding to his information as to the ratio
between his dexter arm and some decayed
premaxillary grinder. When the student
had concluded his operations the door was
opened. About dozen students were
gathered around the operating chair, and
= young woman in state Of collapse was
departing. The students seemed to be
having little discussion rs to whose turn
1t was to have the next "crack," and
waved various dreadful looking instru-
ments of torture about them In an alarm
ingly careless manner.
Leaving this ensang,iined field, the ex-
ploring party yentured next into the third
story. Here was another large room,
with more chairs and more unfertunates.
All the chairs were full and the students
were working away for dear life. The
professors look ut the patients teeth be-
fore the student begins to operate and
after he has completed his work. II it is
satisfactory, he receives a mark in accord
ance with the excellence Of his work. If
1t is not good, he has to take 1t out and do
it over again. This, the reporter was in
formed, did not very often happen, but
when it did it was apt to engender i'll feel
ing between the operator and operatee.
Adjoining this was large room devoted
to the manufacture of plates and sets of
teeth. In one corner OF the room was
furnace about as hot as crematory In
full blast. The student led the unhappy
visitors directly to this and planted them
within six inches Of 1t while he gave them
ell the details he could think Of concern
ing the institution.
The professor afterward took the visit
ors in charge and showed them the mu-
scum, containing among other things
casts of the heads of persons upon whom
remarkable dental and surgical opera
tions had been performed by the faculty
Of this institute. There was the case, for
instance, of young man whom they
called Tommy" who, through some
cancerous affection, had lost his entire
nose and all his teeth. AS shown by the
cast, he must have been a hideous object
to gaze upon. The middle finger of his
left arm was boued down upon his face,
the skin opened and left there until it
should unite. When union had taken
place, the finger was cut off atthe first
Joint, and the man had O. very tolerable
looking nose at the expense of q finger.
: The professor was interrogated rs to
the nationality of the students He re-
piled that they came from all parts Of the
world, and ranged in age from II to "a.
There was among them even one man
from Greece. He was q middle aged,
quiet looking individual, and, the pro-
fessor said, was very conscientious and
careful in his work. The operating is
carried on daily from 8 to 12. Every
afternoon there arc lectures from 2:30
until o'clock. The course takes two
years, and about three out Of four, on an
average, escape being tplucked" and sent
back for another year. Each student
works three days filling teeth, two days
making plates and one day at extracting.
This, with the lectures and subsequent
copying of his notes and reading text
books, fills out his week very thoroughly.
The coulse embraces, besides instruction
in dentistry, complete course of anatomy
and the science OF medicine. Except in
the single branch Of surgery, the course
embraces everything that is taught in the
College of Physicians and Surgeons. One
would naturally suppose that the -insti-
tute would be patronized almost cXclu-
siYcly by the poorer classes, but this, the
professor stated, was not the case. Many
persons who were abundantly able to pay
the highest prices came here for the reason,
he presumed, that they were sure of get
ting honest work.
All the students carry about with
them little diagrams which look like q
small stockade <ort erected for protection
against the Indians. But it is intended
to represent all the teeth In the human
head, first and second sets. Every patient
receives one Of these. pictures, with the
tooth or teeth to be operated on marked
on it by the professor, and the student
works with this as q guide. He cannot
touch tooth that Is not marked on this
chart.-New York World.
Extinct Craters in Now Mexico.
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